virtual;material

My MFA practice-led research considered virtual and material archives and our notions of representation in each of those realms. Highfalutin jargon maybe, but really pretty simple; we mistrust on-line experience because it is ‘virtual’, malleable, somehow less than ‘real’, and have an unwarranted trust in material representations.

In my high school’s safe zone yesterday I saw a lot of cell phone and social media use and in equal measure a lot of real-world, peer support for those in need. I guess sometimes all it takes is a province-wide evacuation to remind you of facts backed by your own research. Young identities are forged on-line and supports are housed there too. And virtual experiences have materiality. All of it is very ‘real’.